Kulnine Station, the 30,000-acre outback property purchased in December 2001 by Ray and Eleanor Cronin, owners of Kestrel Aviation, is located 70 kilometres west of Mildura. Ray Cronin was first introduced to this area by the Walsh family of Moorna Station. In the early 1980's Ray ran pig-culling contracts at Moorna, a 67,000 acre property across the river from Kulnine, flying a Bell 47. It became Ray's dream to have his own station in the area.

Ray saw the opportunity to purchase Kulnine as two-fold: to fulfil that dream and to provide an environment for Kestrel's students to experience some real operational flying, taking part in one of Kestrel's flyaways.

A flyaway gives participants a chance to upgrade their existing flying skills and develop new ones in fabulous surroundings, while continuing their normal flying program. Flyaways are nothing new for Kestrel. They have been running them for 10 years, at both Moorna and Ned's Corner, an 80,000-acre property on Kulnine's western boundary.

Kulnine has approximately 30 kilometres of river meandering through it, including the Murray River, the Walpole River and some spectacular billabongs, wetlands and bird sanctuaries. The homestead and shearers' quarters lie pleasantly close to the river and within walking distance of the airstrip. Sheep, cattle and crops of wheat and triticale form an integral part of the enterprise. The emphasis for the week is on flying, however, with students scheduled for a range of operations. For most, it will be the first time they have been in such a unique environment, slept in shearers' quarters, woken up to tranquil early mornings and joined in the camaraderie around the campfire at night. This year's flyaway in March included current students at various stages of their CPLH training, a couple of past students who never miss the opportunity to attend, 2 instructors, 2 R22s and a Seneca, while a four-wheel-drive ute took to the road for the seven-hour trip from Mangalore to Kulnine.

Cameron's Confidence Climbs
For student Cameron, participating in a solo navigation exercise to Kulnine Station proved to be the longest and most challenging part of his training so far. Planning included mapping out the route, distance and bearings, which went into a detailed flight plan. After studying the weather printout and taking into consideration the presence of strong northerly winds, he made appropriate last minute adjustments to time frames and fuel consumption. The final stage of Cameron's ground preparation was a pre-flight check on the helicopter before take off and a briefing with Vaughn, his instructor.

With everything in order and his navigation signed off, Cameron was finally airborne, departing Mangalore on bearing 315 magnetic, stopping at Swan Hill Airport to re-fuel, have lunch and meet up with Vaughn and fellow student, Craig, who was taking part in his first navigation exercise.

From Swan Hill Cameron flew on bearing 305 magnetic to Kulnine. "Flying to Kulnine was quite taxing, particularly as we neared the property. The remoteness of the area and my unfamiliarity with the features meant I had to rely more heavily on compass bearings than usual. I felt slightly anxious at first, embarking on new territory is always a challenge and requires high concentration levels. The sense of achievement and confidence in my flying skills after my safe arrival at Kulnine soon overtook these feelings", said Cameron.

Helicopter KHL, with Craig as pilot and Vaughn on board, touched down at Kulnine within minutes of Cameron's arrival. A couple of hours before, the Seneca, along with a group of students and CFI Ray Cronin had arrived, to be met on the airstrip by Peter and Jenny O'Brien, managers of the station. Each group was given the royal tour of what was to become home for the next 5 days. Accommodation for some was in the shearers' quarters, recently renovated and refurbished; others opted for swags under the stars. In the original shearing shed, dating back to the eighteen hundred's Peter had erected a shower, complete with enamel base, excellent water pressure, wood-fired water heater and walls of corrugated iron for that bush touch - unique, but very functional. A purpose-built, fully insulated shed overlooking the airstrip and helipads had earlier been built around the open fireplace and combustion stove from the original homestead. This would be the combined dining, study and crew room for the week. Aerial photos, whiteboard, water fountain, enormous tables and bench seats made a comfortable and workable environment. Before long, new friends were made, campfire and barbeque were lit and ice-cold beers were handed around. After a few words from Ray to outline the purpose of Kestrel's flyaways, and the team's goals and activities for the week, a summary of each day's flying and events was posted on the whiteboard and the program was under way.

Skip, Sheep and Slings
A sensational sunrise and warm temperatures made for very pleasant conditions for Cameron and Todd to carry out the dailies on their respective helicopters. The aim of their exercise was to locate and muster a small mob of sheep, move them over a bridge and bring them back closer to another mob. It was also a great opportunity for Cameron to practice his low-level flying skills, often as low as 2 metres from the ground, and over very dry, flat country covered in lignum, saltbush and goosefoot. Despite concentrated efforts, the sheep were unobliging, so Cameron and Ray made note of where they were and headed back home to rally the ground team. With the helicopter hovering above, Peter on his motorbike, faithful dog Skip and a couple of would-be jackeroos, the sheep were caught. The object of the exercise now became to transport the sheep one by one in a ventilated bag, via a sling load. Cameron, David and Johnny ferried the sheep over the river to their new paddock. All agreed the exercise required them to think of many factors while flying. The confined area, with scrub up to 2½ metres tall, watching and having utmost faith in the ground person guiding the helicopter while keeping the hover steady for hook up, required great concentration.

Special Skills
Whilst students complete 2 hours of low-level flying as part of their CPL training, those who are at the required skill level and attend a flyaway are able to complete their full endorsement (5 hours) within their 105-hour CPL course. The same applies to the sling endorsement, although generally only one hour of training is needed to complete this. Cameron, David and Johnny were not only lucky enough to obtain these add-ons but, more importantly, gained the endorsements while taking part in such practical exercises. Invaluable training!

Russell from Switzerland
New student Russell began his first day with Kestrel at Kulnine. Only days before, Russell was living and working thousands of kilometres away, surrounded by the luscious green pastures and snow-capped mountains of Switzerland. Although an Aussie, Russell has lived overseas for many years; after completing his CPLH theory and some flying experience, he will return to his wife and home in Switzerland. "I arrived in Melbourne on Monday, at which point I had not decided on the aviation school I would train with. Tuesday was spent visiting the schools in Melbourne and Wednesday was set aside for a visit to Kestrel. I allowed myself a day to go over all the pros and cons of each school before making my final decision on Friday morning.

Obviously I chose Kestrel, the deciding factor being its commitment to training and friendly atmosphere. I initially thought I would feel a little isolated living on base at Mangalore Airport. However, to achieve my goals in the time frame I have set myself I believe being removed from other distractions can only be beneficial to my study. Kestrel was also the only school to offer a flyaway program. While the arrival at Kulnine Station was a culture shock to begin with, it was a week that will be etched in my memory forever. The commencement of my flying training and some theory, a pass in my first exam (radio), and the chance to stay on an outback station, become involved in the daily running of the station and get to know a fantastic group of people all with a common goal, made for a brilliant week", said Russell.

By day 5 at Kulnine, Russell had completed 6 hours of flying and almost mastered perhaps the hardest task for ab initio pilots: the hover.

More Sheep (and Dust Storms)
Hot weather, flying in unfamiliar surroundings and too much talk around the campfire at night slowed the team down somewhat by Wednesday. Getting out of bed was proving to be a little harder; as a result the ground-mustering team were dragging their heels. Peter, Skip and Trixie, the wonderdogs, Earl and Alison in the ute, and Dave, Chris and Russell on motorbikes zoomed off at 8.30am. The journey took 45 minutes, driving over flat, parched, scrubby country through neighbouring property, Kierra Station, and over several rickety, nail-biting bridges.

The destination, Wapoole Island, is about 6,000 acres and part of Kulnine's leasehold country. Temporary yards had been erected ready for the 400 merino ewe weaners that were to be mustered for crutching the following day. Cameron and Ray successfully located a couple of mobs of sheep from the air and, after much chat via the radio, helicopter, bikes, ute and dogs began moving the sheep in the right direction. Frustrating and funny by turns, this took some hours. The height of the lignum and goosefoot certainly makes the job on the ground very difficult; without helicopters it would be almost impossible. Fortunately, one mob of sheep were safely into the yards before Mildura and the surrounding countryside became covered in a blanket of thick dust, described as a "once in a lifetime event".

Raised dust and wind came first from the north, later shifting north-west and west, while the sky turned a dull orange. Then the dust really began to blow, winds reached speeds of up to 25 knots, visibility dropped to 800 metres and the temperature plummeted. All flying stopped for the rest of the day and the helicopters were grounded as people and animals sought shelter from stinging dust and wind.

For the rest of the week the weather was considerably cooler. The main focus on Thursday and Friday was for some students to perfect the sling load, this time with a 20 litre container of gravel and sand. For others, it was concentrating on more navigations to unknown and remote areas, general handling exercises and confined-area landings.

Getting A Perspective
Evenings around the campfire created a very relaxed and informal environment, with entertaining stories and lots of laughs. Basic chores were shared, with everyone willing to pitch in and help, with all meals superbly organised and cooked by Jenny, Peter's wife. The highlights of the week were many: the opportunity to log many hours and take part in operational flying exercises, consolidation of flying skills, meeting new people and making new friends, getting to know instructors and staff better, the chance to experience life on an outback station. When you get a group of people together who have a real passion for helicopters, it creates a very positive environment for students to learn, stay focused and enjoy their flying. Learning to fly helicopters is more costly than other forms of flying. However the challenge is unique and for many the experience of flying helicopters has no equal. Correct training is paramount. For that reason, Kestrel Aviation has a continuing commitment towards helicopter training, with the inclusion of a flyaway scheduled into each and every student's CPLH training.

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